Blair: We'll fund police for every community

The Prime Minister has promised more focus on community policing as he unveiled Labour's fifth election pledge.

Mr Blair, accompanied by Home Secretary Charles Clarke, unveiled the pledge "Your Community Safer" as part of his whistle-stop tour of the country to make six key election promises.

He promised an increase in spending on police and said every community would have a dedicated neighbourhood policing team by the end of the next parliament if he is re-elected.

The Prime Minister, speaking at Kirkgate community centre in Shipley, West Yorkshire, said that the world of Dixon Of Dock Green and leaving your back door open had gone, but the Government was determined to fight anti-social behaviour and crime with the new measures.

"The purpose of this particular pledge is to focus on the issue of community policing and disorder in the community," said Mr Blair.

His government had already boosted police numbers and given the forces of law and order more powers to deal with yobs with measures such as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders.

With Mr Clarke he promised every community would get its own dedicated police team for their neighbourhood.

'It is a different world'

He added: "What it's trying to do is to reinvoke that sense of community that people of my age and older grew up with.

"When I was growing up, in the village and city I grew up in, I'm not saying everyone left their back door open, but lots of people did.

"And when an old person walked down the street, you made way for them. That was part of the decent standards of contact that we took for granted.

"Everything has changed, there's all sorts of

changes.

"The violent criminal or drug dealer is not like what we used to watch in Dixon Of Dock Green all those years ago.

"It is about recognising it is a different world in the 21st century. We are not going backwards in time but we can make our country better."

Mr Blair then signed an election card pledge along with the Home Secretary promising "Your Community Safer".

The new measures also include spending on police to increase by £746million (6.7 per cent) in 2005-6, guaranteed standards of customer service for dealing with the police, compulsory drug treatments for offenders and new powers to deal with anti-social behaviour.

These include drink banning orders and alcohol disorder zones so police can shut pubs selling to underage drinkers.